Sr. Group Leader

The GSC Aerosol Commercialization R&D Team is dedicated to the development and commercialization of new products within the Aerosol Industry. This leadership position will require working with Marketing, Purchasing and Operations teams to drive new product development, strategic initiatives, and support activities on MOB work as needed. Ability to work in a fast and dynamic environment with strong flexibility and interpersonal skills is highly desired. The ideal candidate will have strong emotional intelligence to efficiently handle highly charged situations.

Job duties include contact with other employees and access confidential and proprietary information and/or other items of value, and such access may be supervised or unsupervised. The Company therefore has determined that a review of criminal history is necessary to protect the business and its operations and reputation and is necessary to protect the safety of the Company's staff, employees, and business relationships.

Key responsibilities include:
* Define the goals, roles, and responsibilities of the Aerosol Team
* Leading a team of chemists and technicians with technical expertise in project management, solvent and water borne formulation, and highly diverse technologies.
* Primary sponsorship and management responsibility for Aerosol NPD projects, including leadership of projects led by technical staff and project teams within the department that may not directly report to this position.
* Leadership of proven success in change management related to the GSC commercialization process

Leadership
* Sponsorship and management responsibility for all Aerosol NPD projects, ensuring products are delivered on time and meet design profile requirements.
* Allocate resources and project teams from Resource Pool to drive NPD and support MOB projects as needed
* Select high performing employees and use a flexible style, along with an open environment, to build a cohesive and productive team
* Critical / Creative Thinking to find solutions for complex design or manufacturing issues
* Active participation with R&D Quality and Commercialization Engineering teams to create or modify quality procedures and test methods
* Create a culture of diversity and inclusion and a positive cooperative work environment
* Use data, influence, and credibility to gain acceptance of decisions and recommendations
* Champion the use of DFSS tools, data science, and the scientific method in all R&D projects
* Successful talent development - growing individual contributors in support of their career goals

Business Management
* Effectively manage time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently and on time.
* Manage and monitor multiple projects to hold project teams accountable for setting and meeting project deadlines that meet the needs of the Aerosol business with effective planning and execution.
* Partner with Aerosol Marketing and Procurement to prioritize projects and allocate resources to drive projects through the Stage Gate processes and Development process to Commercialization
* Identify and understand project issues. Determine and implement best alternative course of action using data driven decisions.
* Build relationships to ensure success across the organization. Resolve conflict with stakeholders to prevent unnecessary distractions to project timelines.

Employee and Team Development
* Grow and develop the Team professionally and technically by actively utilizing and engaging in Professional Development Plans with all employees
* Effectively utilize delegation and stretch assignments to grow the team's technical leadership capacity
* Determine resources and allocation
* Facilitate open sharing of knowledge and ideas to promote employee engagement.
* Conduct formal performance reviews and address performance concerns.

Communication
* Communicate/interface with Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain and Procurement, and other R&D departments and divisions daily.
* Ability to effectively communicate with external manufacturing partners and raw material suppliers.
* Written and verbal communication of team and project related info to key stakeholders and senior management.
* Effectively utilize delegation and stretch assignments to grow the team's technical and business communication capacity
* Effective communication of projects and deliverables to team.

Safety and Quality
* Ensure and reinforce Safety, Housekeeping, and ISO practices.
* Actively seek to improve overall safety through proper training and implementation of corrective actions as necessary.
* Continuous improvement of commercialization processes with a focus on balancing quality and speed to market.

BASIC QUALIFICATION:
* Must be legally authorized to work in the country for which you are applying for employment (without now or in the future needing sponsorship for employment work visa and/or permanent residence status).

FORMAL EDUCATION:
Required:
* Bachelor's Degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics ("STEM") field Preferred

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE:
Required:
* Must have at least 3 years of supervisory experience (project management or people management) within R&D or Quality
* Must have at least 5 years of relevant experience with coatings or related field
* Demonstrated ability to lead and develop a team
* Demonstrated effective communication with crossfunctional stakeholders in high-stakes situations
* Proven problem solving and decision-making skills and abilities
* Knowledge of GSC commercialization processes

Preferred:
* Experience in a commercialization R&D function
* Experience partnering with Marketing to commercialize products through Stage-Gate
* Experience leading or managing large project teams and/or complex projects
* Relevant experience working with Operations supporting new product launches or quality issues.
* Experience using Business Objects, Tableau and other SW systems to pull data rapidly
* Experience managing multiple technically challenging projects in a fast changing environment

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:
20%

Upon completion of construction, the individual selected for this role will primarily work at the new Sherwin-Williams Global Technology Center in Brecksville, Ohio. Construction is expected to be complete in 2025. Until then, the role will be based at 4440 Warrensville Center Rd, Warrensville Heights, OH 44128.